Digital boost as Filtermist improves LEV offer

Manufacturers across all industry sectors have been crying out for quicker LEV reports and Filtermist International has responded by ensuring all of its LEV engineers produce electronic reports that can be completed and returned within 10 days.

“The industry-standard for turning around reports is about 15 to 20 working days, but we are hearing from clients that many of them need them much quicker,” said Matthew Wall, LEV and service team leader at Filtermist.

“With this in mind, we looked at our processes and came up with a strategy that sees all reports completed electronically on a tablet by our LEV engineers on site. These reports then get sent back to a secure internet portal in PDF format, where they are downloaded, filed and processed before being sent back to the client.

“This new approach has reduced the report lead time down to just five to 10 days and, in emergency situations, we can even do it as quick as one or two.”

Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is an engineering control system used to reduce exposures to airborne contaminants in the workplace, such as dust, mist, fume, vapour and gas.

Companies are legally required through CoSHH regulation nine to ensure LEV systems are operating effectively to protect their staff, with LEV testing by a competent person required at least once every 14 months. Some LEV systems require more frequent testing depending on the nature of the application.

Filtermist’s large team of engineers are responsible for installing, servicing and LEV testing oil mist, smoke, fume and dust extraction systems for clients in a variety of industries across the UK.

Investment in the latest skills is crucial to meeting the exacting standards demanded by customers.

The company has reinforced the importance it places on this capability by announcing that all of its installation and service engineers will be trained to P600 by Bill Cassells at special sessions due to be held at its Telford HQ.

Having previously worked as a Senior HSE Inspector, the founder of training company Oxly8 is one of the UK’s most revered experts in the field of LEV.

The P600 ‘Methods for testing the performance of LEV’ course focuses on the fundamentals of LEV systems, from their components to measurement and testing techniques. It will provide engineers with a sound knowledge foundation and they can then progress on to further BOHS (British Occupational Hygiene Society) LEV qualifications if necessary.

Matthew added: “Our mission is to create cleaner, safer and more productive work environments and one of the key ways of doing this is by working with our clients to ensure they not only install the best equipment, but regularly service and LEV test it so it works to its optimum performance.

“The investment in our engineers is part of a wider company approach to upskilling all of our staff and developing the next generation of Filtermist employees.”